Many in Afghanistan are hopeful about the talks, despite the Taliban announcement of a spring offensive.
By Pamela Constable Pamela Constable Foreign correspondent covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Asia, Latin America and immigration Email Bio Follow April 17 at 7:00 AM Hopes ride high in capital ahead of historic negotiations
On Tuesday, the office of President Ashraf Ghani announced that 250 delegates — an inclusive but unwieldy array from across the political and social spectrum — would fly Thursday to Doha, the Qatari capital, to meet with a far smaller group of Taliban officials. The militia leaders will hold separate formal meetings with U.S. officials.
Despite strong support from the Afghan public, the initiative has met with considerable criticism, both from political figures who were excluded and from observers who warn that the huge contingent — which has no single leader — could produce a profusion of opinions rather than a unified position needed to confront the demands of a hierarchical religious militia.
The Taliban, for its part, sent mixed signals as the talks neared. On Monday, a Taliban spokesman told news agencies that several unidentified women would be part of its delegation — a remarkable shift that seemed aimed at assuaging Afghan and international concerns that women’s rights would be ignored in the talks and curtailed if the Taliban returned to power.
The surge in violence drew angry retorts from Ghani, who called it a sign of Taliban intent to continue an “illegitimate war,” and from Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy spearheading the peace process, who condemned it as “reckless.” In March, however, Afghan security forces announced their own spring operation to force the Taliban to negotiate with Kabul.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Taliban declare start of spring offensive amid talks with USThe annual spring offensive traditionally marks the start of the so-called fighting season, though the announcement is largely symbolic as in recent winters the Taliban have continued fighting Afghan and US forces.
Read more »
Taliban ambush Afghan police convoy, killing 7KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says the Taliban have ambushed a police convoy, setting off an hours-long battle that killed seven security forces, including a provincial police official. Abdul Hai Khateby, the spokesman for the governor of the western Ghor province, says the attack happened Friday afternoon. He says another two police and a civilian were wounded, and that four insurgents were killed. He says Faqir Ahmad Noori, the head of operations for the provincial police, was among those killed.
Read more »
Taliban launch multi-pronged attack on northern Afghan cityThe Taliban effectively control nearly half of Afghanistan and have continued to launch daily attacks on security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months.
Read more »
Fighting across Afghanistan as Taliban opens offensive before talksTaliban forces attacked the northern Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday, a day af...
Read more »
Taliban team at Afghan peace talks in Qatar to include women: spokesmanWomen will be included for the first time in the Taliban delegation to talks thi...
Read more »
Taliban team at Afghan peace talks in Qatar to include womenFor the first time, women will be included in the Taliban delegation to talks this month with US officials and Afghan representatives in Qatar over the future of Afghanistan, the movement's main spokesman said.
Read more »
Tuesday Morning BriefingTuesday Morning Briefing: - Notre-Dame Cathedral smolders as investigation begins - Taliban team at Afghan peace talks in Qatar to include women - Thousands to 'crowd-source' Indonesian election results
Read more »
ICRC suspends work in Afghanistan after Taliban 'ban'Afghan Taliban banned WHO and the Red Cross activities for what they said were 'suspicious' actions during vaccination campaigns, as polio is still crippling the country.
Read more »
Facing hurdles from U.S., war crimes judges reject Afghan probeJust days after the United States government revoked the visa of the Internation...
Read more »
Hague court turns down Afghan war crimes probe as US hails victoryRights groups denounced the judges' decision as a blow for thousands of victims in the long-running Afghan conflict and warned it could embolden perpetrators around the world to act with impunity.
Read more »